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Iration Planning To Thrill Large Groups At Wakarusa

Iration Planning To Thrill Large Groups At Wakarusa

PHOTO COURTESY OF IRATION Iration guitarist-singer Micah Pueschel, second from right, said his group will perform reggae, alternative rock and other genres from 9-10:30 p.m. June 8 at the Wakarusa Music & Camping Festival. The festival will be held June 5-8.

In Micah Pueschel’s mind, it’s not an artistic sin to perform for a stadium-sized crowd.

Although some self-proclaimed, alternative rock-loving purists might deem playing for large audiences a “sell-out” move, a band can maintain its street cred while performing for thousands of fans just as easily as it can when playing a smaller, more intimate show, said the singer-guitarist for the alternative rock-reggae band Iration.

“When you’re playing in front of a large crowd, you really aren’t feeding off the energy as much, but the amount of energy you are faced with from a big crowd, that’s a great thing,” said Pueschel during a recent telephone interview. “With the large number of people joining in with you while you play, that is a greater achievement.

“We’ve done every size room you can imagine over the course of our career,” added Pueschel, who lives in Santa Barbara, Calif. “It’s fun to rock a big crowd. As an artist and musician, you want to play your music in front of as many people as you can.”

Iration, which also includes Joseph Dickens (drums), Cayson Peterson (keyboards), Adam Taylor (bass) and Joseph King (engineer), will be among the dozens of performers for the Wakarusa Music & Camping Festival. The all-ages festival will be held June 5-8 at the Mulberry Mountain Lodging & Events, 23978 Arkansas 23, north of Ozark.

“We’re excited to be (returning) to Wakarusa,” said Pueschel. “We love Wakarusa, and we always have a really good time. We’re playing from 9-10:30 p.m. June 8 on what they call Reggae Sunday, so we’ll see and hang with a lot of people we know. It’s always a fun time for us.”

Wakarusa attendees will be able to detect Iration’s diverse influences, who range from reggae icons Bob Marley, Black Uhuru and Sly & Robbie to rockers Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and numerous electronica acts, he said.

“I listen to all kinds of things,” Pueschel said. “I’m a fan of Weezer and 1980s pop – even stuff like Hall and Oates and Fleetwood Mac. We mish-mash a lot of stuff together, and that is what is exciting and rewarding about our group.”